THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


& 

'<s  /tf?  " 


MABEL'S  CUEISTSIAS  TREE.    (Paa;e  65.) 


AMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES, 


\ml  ©Urn'  jftftritf. 


Br  MRS.  M.  M.  B.  GOODWIN. 


CINCINNATI: 
R.  W.  CARROLL  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS, 

115  AND  117  WEST  FOURTH  STREET. 

18/0. 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED    APPLES. 
MERCHANT'S  CHRISTMAS  DREAM. 
WILLIE'S   CHRISTMAS  DREAM. 
MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  IN'.N  l>y 
K.  W.  CARROLL  &  Co., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


TZ& 


mna 


led 


N  the  Widow 
Stone's  orchard 
stood  a  large  ap- 
ple-tree, which 
was  loaded,  very 
full, with  bright- 
red  apples. 
These  apples, 
little  Sammy 
Stone  claimed 
as  his  individual 
property,  and  so 

it  came  to  pass,  that  in  speaking  of  them, 

(5) 


622715 


6       SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

all  the  family  called  them  "Sammy's  red 
apples." 

When  Sammy  was  but  two  years  old, 
he  used  to  watch  his  sister  Mollie  as  she 
took  her  little  "work-pocket" — that  was 
what  they  were  called,  in  those  days,  the 
little  silk,  or  calico  bags,  drawn  together 
with  a  string  at  the  top,  and  used  by  old 
ladies  to  carry  their  knitting  work,  and  by 
children  instead  of  a  dinner  basket — well, 
as  I  was  saying,  Sammy  watched  his  sister 
as  she  started  for  school,  and  when  she 
was  entirely  out  of  sight,  he  would  run  to 
his  mother  and  say : 

"Mamma,  div  Sammy  dinner  in  wort 
pottet — Sammy  do  to  'kool ! "  And  so  his 
mother  would  fix  a  piece  of  bread  and 
butter,  and  as  he  insisted  upon  having  it 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.       7 

in  a  "wort  pottet"  she  made  one  on  pur- 
pose, and  he  would  gravely  put  his  fat 
arm  through  the  string,  as  he  had  seen 
Mollie  do,  and  then,  going  away  by  him- 
self into  the  garden,  or  down  the  lane,  he 
would  eat  his  lunch,  and  return  to  the 
house,  entirely  satisfied  that  he  had  been 
to  school. 

Sammy  was  not  quite  four  years  old 
when  he  began  to  go  to  school  in  good 
earnest.  He  had  donned  his  first  suit  of 
boy's  clothes,  and  very  gravely  informed 
the  family  that  he  was  a  " 'title  man"  and 
not  a  "cUrl"  any  more;  and  a  funny 
"'title  man"  he  was,  sure  enough,  so  fat 
and  round  that  he  looked  like  a  black 
worsted  ball,  set  on  small  boots,  with  a 
cap  on. 


8        SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

Did  you  ever  go  to  school  in  a  red 
school-house,  and  did  you  carry  a  pocket 
full  of  red  apples?  This  was  what  Sam- 
ray  Stone  did;  and  for  the  first  day  he  had 
all  he  could  do  in  looking  around  and 
watching  the  rest  of  the  children,  and 
learning  to  keep  quiet.  The  teacher  gave 
him  a  low  seat  in  front,  but  every  little 
while  he  would  get  up,  very  deliberately, 
and  march,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
up  to  the  back  seat  where  Mollie  was  sit- 
ting, and  the  teacher  had  to  go  and  make 
him  march  back  again ;  all  of  which,  you 
may  be  sure,  afforded  infinite  amusement 
to  the  scholars. 

At  length  the  teacher  called  him  up  to 
learn  his  letters.  In  those  days,  charts 
were  an  unheard-of  thing;  the  scholar 


SAMMY   STONE'S   RED   APPLES.  9 

was  obliged  to  learn  from  the  spelling- 
book,  or  primer;  and  the  primer  from 
which  Sammy  was  expected  to  learn  his 
letters  had  been  sadly  stained  and  de- 
faced by  some  urchin,  who  had  attempted 
to  color  the  various  pictures  with  the  juice 
of  the  poke-berry. 

"What's  that,"  said  the  teacher,  point- 
ing to  the  letter  A. 

"We's  dot  a  white  pig!"  said  Sammy, 
looking  up  in  her  face,  with  such  earnest 
eyes,  that  she  could  not  help  smiling, 
though  she  knew  that,  for  the  sake  of  dis- 
cipline, she  ought  to  keep  sober. 

"Yes,  Sammy,  I'll  hear  about  the 
white  pig  by  and  by,  but  it's  the  letter 
A  we  want  to  talk  about  now.  Look 
on  the  book,  and  tell  me  what  the  let- 


10      SAMMY  STOXE'S  RED  APPLES. 

ter  A  stands  for — see  the  picture,  what 
is  it?" 

"  Wed  apple,"  cried  Sammy,  hopping 
up  and  down,  and  laughing;  "Ps  dot  lots 
of  wed  apples,  'aint  I,  Mollie?"  he  cried 
out  in  his  loudest  tones. 

Mollie  blushed,  and  shook  her  head  for 
him  to  be  quiet,  but  he  did  not  understand 
it  thus,  and  was  very  indignant  at  what 
he  thought  her  denial  of  his  statement. 

Finally  the  teacher  quieted  him,  and, 
pointing  to  the  letter  B,  asked  if  he  knew 
what  it  was. 

"Yes,"  said  Master  Sammy,  with  the 
utmost  importance,  "Him  is  a  ox -yoke." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  gravity  of 
the  school,  and  there  was  a  general  burst 
of  laughter,  very  much  to  Sammy's  sur- 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      11 

prise,  and,  it  must  be  confessed,  to  his 
indignation  also. 

After  quiet  had  been  restored,  Miss 
Jones  made  another  effort  to  teach  him 
the  alphabet.  Pointing  to  the  letter  O, 
she  told  him  what  it  was,  and  asked  him 
to  repeat  it  after  her,  but  he  resolutely 
shook  his  head,  saying: 

"  That  be  a  wheel,  it  goes  buzz-z-z — 
Mamma  make  it  go" — and,  imitating  the 
noise  of  a  spinning-wheel,  which  he  had 
often  watched  his  mother  using,  he  again 
set  the  school  to  laughing,  and  the  teacher 
concluded  to  let  him  take  his  seat. 

Among  the  scholars  that  attended  school 
in  the  old  red  school-house  was  one  Eli 
Ross,  a  large  boy,  who  was  a  perfect  tor- 
ment to  all  the  younger  children,  especially 


the  girls.  He  would  snatch  their  bonnets 
and  their  books,  and  fling  them  over  high 
fences,  or  into  the  dusty  road;  put  toads 
in  their  dinner  baskets  and  work-pockets; 
caterpillars  upon  their  necks,  and  angle- 
worms in  the  water-pail. 

One  day,  it  seemed  as  though  Eli  was 
more  than  usually  mischievous  and  impu- 
dent, and  his  pranks  getting  beyond  all 
bounds,  the  teacher  called  him  to  the  floor 
for  punishment. 

Sammy,  who  had  never  seen  a  person 
whipped,  watched  the  preparations  with 
wide-open  mouth  and  eyes,  but  when  the 
blows  descended  he  cried  as  hard  as  Eli 
himself. 

No  sooner  had  the  teacher  sent  Eli  to 
his  seat,  than  Sammy,  getting  up  and 


SAMMY   STONE?S   EED   APPLES.        13 

marching  straight  across  the  room,  stopped 
in  front  of  his  desk  and  stood  looking  at 
him  intently  for  a  full  minute,  without 
uttering  a  word,  then  pulling  a  red  apple 
from  his  pocket  he  thrust  it  into  his  hand, 
saying : 

"You's  sorry;  you  may  have  Sammy's 
wed  apple;"  and  rubbing  his  fat  fists  into 
his  tearful  eyes,  he  returned  to  his  seat. 

Eli  looked  first  at  the  apple  and  then 
at  Sammy,  in  perfect  bewilderment.  It 
was  the  first  act  or  word  of  sympathy 
which  he  could  ever  remember  having 
received,  and  it  took  him  completely  by 
surprise. 

Taken  from  the  poor-house,  by  Dan 
Long,  the  shoemaker,  a  hard-hearted  and 
intemperate  man,  poor  Eli  had  endured 


14      SAMMY  STOXE'S  RED  APPLES. 

all  the  sufferings  incident  to  the  life  of  a 
bound-boy.  Driven,  abused,  overworked, 
illy-clad,  and  half-starved,  he  had  grown 
up  sullen,  morose,  and  ill-tempered,  and 
he  had  acquired,  as  he  had  fully  earned, 
the  reputation  of  being  the  worst  boy  in 
the  neighborhood. 

He  was  feared  by  his  school-mates,  and 
disliked  by  his  teachers,  and  almost  hated 
by  Dan  Long  and  his  wife,  who  had  taken 
him  for  the  purpose  of  making  him  a 
drudge. 

People  took  it  for  granted  that  he  was 
totally  depraved,  and  never  made  an  effort 
to  find  the  few  grains  of  good  which,  under 
all  the  badness,  still  lay  in  the  depths  of 
his  heart. 

Eli  did  not  eat  the  apple  that  Sammy 


SAMMY  STONE'S  BED  APPLES.      15 

gave  him,  but  quietly  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
while  his  eyes  constantly  sought  Sammy's 
face,  where  the  traces  of  tears  still  lingered. 
The  afternoon  passed  away  without  any 
further  disturbance.  J^ever  before  had  Eli 
behaved  so  well,  or  given  so  little  trouble 
in  the  same  length  of  time.  His  strange 
looks  at  Sammy  set  the  teacher  to  won- 
dering whether  kindness  might  not  have 
more  weight  with  the  boy  than  so  much 
corporal  punishment,  and  she  resolved  to 
test  the  matter. 

After  school  was  dismissed,  Eli  waited 
at  the  door  until  Sammy  came  out,  when, 
catching  the  child  up,  he  placed  him  astride 
his  shoulders,  and  started  off.  Mollie  gave 
a  scream,  at  first,  fearing  that  her  brother 
would  get  hurt ;  but  Sammy  was  in  great 


glee,  and  clasping  his  arms  tightly  around 
Eli's  neck,  enjoyed  his  ride  famously;  and 
the  faster  Eli  ran,  the  louder  laughed  the 
fearless  little  fellow,  until  he  was  set  down 
at  his  o.wn  gate. 

Mrs.  Stone  was  in  the  yard,  and  when 
she  thanked  Eli  for  bringing  home  her 
boy,  he  seemed  utterly  bewildered  at  her 
words  of  commendation,  and  turned  away 
with  new  and  strange  feelings  struggling 
in  his  heart. 

As  he  neared  his  own  home  he  heard 
sounds  of  commotion,  which  convinced 
him  that  the  shoemaker  and  his  wife  were 
having  a  family  quarrel,  and,  well  know- 
ing, from  past  experience,  that  they  would 
leave  off  abusing  each  other  and  turn  the 
vials  of  wrath  upon  his  head,  he  resolved 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      17 

to  keep  out  of  the  way  until  the  tempest 
was  past.  Turning  back,  he  went  down 
the  street  toward  the  river  bridge,  where 
a  few  scattered  houses,  of  the  very  poorest 
quality,  sheltered  such  people  as  could  not 
afford  more  comfortable  dwellings. 

As  he  walked  quietly  along,  perplexed 
at  the  unwonted  emotions  which  the  events 
of  the  day  had  called  into  being,  the  dwell- 
ers in  these  hovels  stared  at  him  in 
perfect  amazement.  He  wasn't  flinging 
stones  at  the  pigs,  chasing  the  cats  or 
children,  nor  tying  tin-cups  to  the  tails  of 
luckless  dogs.  What  did  it  mean  ?  One 
woman,  more  bold  than  the  rest,  ventured 
to  ask  if  any  body  was  "dead"  at  his 
house,  thinking  that  nothing  but  the  death 
of  the  shoemaker,  or  his  wife,  could  account 


18      SAMMY  STOXE'S  RED  APPLES. 

for  such  quiet  behavior  in  the  hitherto 
reckless  boy. 

The  children  of  the  neighborhood,  when 
they  saw  him  coming,  had  dodged  round 
corners  and  behind  doors,  and  now,  as  he 
passed  by  without  any  demonstrations  of 
attack,  they  emerged  from  their  hiding- 
places  and  stared  after  him  in  mute  sur- 
prise, with  dilated  eyes  and  open  mouths. 
One  little  girl,  a  helpless  cripple,  who 
could  not  get  out  of  his  way,  and  who  hud 
often  been  the  subject  of  his  taunts  and 
jeers,  turned  pale,  as  he  paused  beside  the 
rough- wheeled  cart  wherein  she  lay.  For 
a  full  minute  Eli  stood  looking  down  upon 
her,  then  taking  the  red  apple  from  his 
pocket  he  placed  it  in  her  hand,  and  turn- 
ing away,  without  a  word,  was  out  of  sight 


SAMMY  STONE'S  BED  APPLES.      19 

before  Alice  had  recovered  from  her  as- 
tonishment. 

Did  you  ever  do  an  unselfish  act,  dear 
little  reader?  If  you  never  have,  go  at 
once  and  try  what  the  effect  will  be  upon 
your  own  heart,  and  then  you  will  under- 
stand what  Eli's  feelings  were  as  he  re- 
traced his  steps  toward  home. 

AVhen  he  reached  the  shoemaker's  he 
found  the  supper  of  mush  and  molasses 
upon  the  table,  and,  with  a  growl,  the 
man  bade  him  "come  along,"  and  the 
woman  handed  him  a  plate,  upon  which 
the  molasses  bore  a  very  slight  proportion 
to  the  mush.  Eli  hated  mush  and  mo- 
lasses, and  Mr.  Long  and  his  wife  both 
knew  it;  and  when  he  took  the  plate  and 
eat  its  contents  without  a  word  of  com- 

2A 


20     SAMMY  STONE'S  KED  APPLES. 

ment,  they  gazed  at  him  with  looks  ex- 
pressive of  unbounded  astonishment. 

Eli  was,  in  fact,  so  busy  with  the 
thoughts  which  the  day's  experience  had 
called  forth,  that  he  took  little  heed  of  the 
supper;  generally  he  was  so  hungry  that 
he  found  it  hard  to  get  sufficient  food  to 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  nature;  but  to- 
night every  other  feeling  was  swallowed 
up  in  the  newly-awakened  emotions  of 
gratitude  and  self-sacrifice. 

Alice,  to  whom  Eli  had  given  the  apple, 
had  been  a  cripple  since  her  birth,  and  she 
was,  at  times,  a  great  sufferer;  but,  in 
spite  of  this,  her  mother  had  to  leave  her 
alone  while  she  went  out  washing  day  af- 
ter day  to  procure  the  means  wherewith 
to  pay  for  rent,  food,  and  clothing.  Often 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      21 

they  suffered  for  the  very  necessaries  of 
life,  while  its  luxuries  were,  to  them,  un- 
known. Knowing  this,  you  can,  perhaps, 
understand  that,  to  Alice,  the  gift  of  an 
apple  was  a  matter  of  great  moment,  and 
so  she  kept  it  and  showed  it  to  her  moth- 
er, with  many  words  of  surprised  re- 
joicing. 

To  a  child  whose  life  had  been  so 
warped  as  had  Eli's,  reformation  is  not 
an  easy  matter,  nor  does  it  take  place  in 
a  moment;  so  you  will  not  be  surprised 
to  learn  that  by  the  next  morning  the  old 
evil  spirit  seemed  to  have  returned  with 
tenfold  violence,  and  he  was  even  more 
mischievous  than  usual.  The  teacher,  see- 
ing this,  feared  she  should  have  to  fall 
back  upon  the  birchen  rod,  but,  deter- 


22      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

mined  to  give  her  new  resolutions  a  fair 
trial,  sh6  called  him  to  the  desk,  and,  keep- 
ing him  while  the  children  had  recess,  she 
endeavored  to  awaken  his  better  feelings, 
and  closed  her  advice  by  saying  that  she 
believed  if  he  would  endeavor  to  over- 
come his  recklessness  he  might  become  one 
of  the  best  boys  and  finest  scholars  in  the 
school. 

"  Well,  what  if  I  did  ?  "  said  Eli,  "  there's 
nobody  to  care ! "  and  bitter  tears  ran  down 
his  cheeks. 

Before  the  teacher  could  reply,  Sammy, 
who,  unnoticed,  had  entered  the  room, 
came  to  Eli's  side,  and  catching  hold  of 
his  hand,  said,  with  quivering  lips,  "  Boy, 
what  you  tyln  for;  I  docs  love  you,  big  as 
a  bushel!"  Sammy  evidently  considered 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      23 

that  amount  of  love  sufficient  to  satisfy 
any  reasonable  person,  and  he  could  n't 
quite  understand  why  Eli  cried  harder 
than  before. 

The  teacher  laid  her  hand  on  the  boy's 
bowed  head,  and,  in  low,  earnest  tones, 
assured  him  that  Sammy  was  not  the  only 
one  who  would  love  him  a  "bushel"  if  he 
would  but  give  them  a  chance.  "  Remem- 
ber, Eli,"  she  added,  "that  people  make 
friends  or  enemies  by  their  own  conduct. 
Gold  can  not  buy  true  friends,  nor  can 
poverty  drive  them  away." 

That  night,  when  school  was  out,  Sam- 
my was  ready  for  another  ride,  and  no 
king  ever  felt  prouder,  seated  upon  a  war- 
charger,  than  did  he,  perched  upon  Eli's 
broad  shoulders. 


24      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

Mrs.  Stone  urged  him  to  enter  the  house, 
and  while  Sammy  filled  his  pockets  with 
apples,  and  showed  him  his  Maltese  kitten 
and  dancing-jack,  she,  by  a  few  adroit 
questions,  found  out  that  one  great  cause 
of  discouragement  was  the  want  of  proper 
books;  and  when  he  arose  to  go  she  handed 
him  a  new  slate  and  arithmetic,  and  also  a 
reader  and  definition-book,  at  the  same 
time  extracting  a  promise  that  he  would 
go  with  Sammy  to  Sunday-school  on  the 
next  Lord's-day. 

He  looked  at  his  clothes  as  he  gave  the 
promise,  and  Mrs.  Stone  did  not  much 
wonder  at  his  hesitation,  for  patches  of  va- 
rious hues  and  sizes  disputed  ground  with 
sundry  unmended  rents,  but  she  merely 
said,  "Never  mind  the  clothes,  go  to  Sun- 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES*      25 

day-school  any  way,  for  God  judges  by 
the  heart,  and* not  by  outward  apparel." 

As  Eli  felt  the  apples  in  his  pocket,  a 
desire  to  divide  them  with  lame  Alice 
crept  into  his  heart,  and  so  he  went  round 
by  the  washer- wo  man's  cottage*  Alice  was 
lying  in  her  little  cart,  by  the  gate,  watch- 
ing the  passers-by.  Eli  did  not  pause,  but 
dropping  several  apples  into  the  cart,  he 
hurried  away  without  waiting  for  her 
thanks,  while  she  gazed  after  him  with 
looks  of  delighted  surprise. 

The  next  Lord's-day  Eli  presented  him- 
self, according  to  promise,  at  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Stone,  and  accompanied  the  children 
to  Sunday-school.  His  appearance  there 
created  some  surprise,  but  no  offensive 
comments  wrere  made  concerning  his  dress, 


26      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

and  he  soon  forgot  every  thing  else,  in  his 
interest  in  the  Bible-lesson ;  and  having  a 
natural  talent  for  music,  he  was  at  once 
able  to  join  in  the  singing. 

Days  and  weeks  rolled  on,  but  brought 
no  events  to  any  of  our  young  friends 
worth  recording.  The  leaves  faded  at  last, 
the  bird-songs  were  hushed  in  the  forest, 
and  Winter,  Monarch  of  the  Xorth,  har- 
nessed the  winds  to  his  cloud-chariot,  and 
gathering  his  ermine  mantle  around  him, 
swept  toward  the  tropics,  and  breathing 
upon  the  landscape,  in  a  single  night,  he 
turned  the  shrubs  to  marble  monuments, 
and  builded  a  bridge  of  purest  crystal  over 
roaring  rivers  and  tiny  rivulets,  thus  mak- 
ing a  safe  passage  for  St.  Nicholas,  with 
his  load  of  Christmas-gifts. 


SAMMY  STONE'S  EED  APPLES.      27 

Merry  Christmas !  how  children's  hearts 
bound  at  the  thought!  Still  there  are  those 


to  whom  its  coming  can  hardly  bring 
joy — those  whom  poverty's  chill  breath 
debars  from  all  participation  in  its  festivi- 
ties. To  this  class  belonged  the  washer- 
woman and  her  child.  In  their  dreary 
cottage  there  was  no  preparations  for  a 
festival.  Christmas  had  no  meaning  for 


28      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

them,  save  that  it  ushered  in  long,  dreary- 
mouths  of  cold  and  storms,  for  which  their 
scanty  supply  of  clothing  and  fuel  found 
them  but  illy  prepared. 

"Mamma,"  said  Alice,  who  had  been 
steadily  gazing  at  the  burning  embers  for 
a  long  time  in  perfect  silence,  "Mamma, 
why  don't  we  have  Christmas?  Does 
God  love  us?  Maria  Munsell  was  here 
to-day,  and  told  me  all  about  her  tree; 
and  Mollie  Stone  and  Sammy  are  going  to 
have  one  too — why  don't  we  have  one?" 

"  We  are  too  poor,  my  child — Christ- 
mas is  for  the  rich." 

"  But  why  aint  we  rich  ?  Mamma,  you 
said  I  must  go  to  Jesus  with  all  my  pains 
and  trouble;  I  think  if  he  knew  how  I 
wanted  a  Christmas-tree  he  would  send  it 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      29 

to  me!"  and,  clasping  her  hands  tightly, 
Alice  softly  prayed:  "O,  dear,  blessed 
Savior,  please  send  mamma  and  me  a 
Christmas,  'cause  we're  too  poor  to  buy 
one  of  ourselves!"  Then,  with  a  smile  of 
perfect  trust,  Alice  closed  her  eyes,  and 
was  soon  dreaming  of  the  morrow. 

Long  did  that  patient  mother  gaze  at 
her  child,  striving  to  devise  some  way  to 
procure  for  her  a  Christmas-gift,  but  no 
practical  plan  presented  itself,  and  she 
sighed,  for  her  faith  not  being  as  strong  as 
the  little  one's,  she  dreaded  the  disappoint- 
ment which  she  thought  the  morrow  must 
surely  bring. 

While  Alice  was  talking,  the  door  had 
been  softly  opened,  and  two  brown  eyes 
had  looked  into  the  room,  but  neither  the 


30     SAMMY  STOXE'S  RED  APPLES. 

mother  nor  child  had  noticed  the  circum- 
stance; and  just  as  Alice's  little  prayer 
was  ended  the  door  was  stealthily  closed, 
and  the  brown  eyes  disappeared. 

Eli — for  it  was  he — walked  slowly  down 
the  street.  He  did  not  enter  the  shoe- 
maker's house,  but  passed  on  until  he 
reached  Mrs.  Stone's.  Sammy  was  at  the 
window,  and  when  he  saw  him  he  jumped 
down,  and,  opening  the  door,  called  to  him 
to  "turn  in  and  see  the  trismas-ixee" 

Taking  a  seat  near  the  fire,  he  placed 
Sammy  on  his  lap,  and  then  turning  to 
Mrs.  Stone  told  her  all  about  Lame  Alice 
and  her  evening  prayer. 

Sammy  listened,  and  his  loving,  gener- 
ous heart  was  touched  at  once;  so,  clamb- 
ering down,  he  ran  to  the  fire-place  and 


SAMMY  STONE'S  BED  APPLES.      31 

picked  out  all  his  apples,  (and,  as  he 
claimed  all  the  red  ones,  there  was  quite 
a  quantity,)  and  piled  them  in  Eli's  hat, 
while  his  mother  looked  smilingly  on, 
glad  to  see  these  evidences  of  generosity 
on  the  part  of  her  boy. 

Mollie,  who  had  also  listened  to  the 
story  with  deep  attention,  slipped  from  the 
room,  and  soon  returned  with  her  arms 
full  of  books  and  toys.  A  whole  box  of 
paper  dolls  and  their  wardrobes,  the  pret- 
tiest little  music-box,  and  numberless  oth- 
er toys,  which  she  prized  highly,  showed 
how  earnest  her  feelings  were. 

It  was  decided  that  Alice  should  have 
a  Christmas-tree,  and  Mrs.  Stone  sent  the 
hired  man  with  the  ^evergreen;  then  pack- 
ing a  quantity  of  apples,  cakes,  pop-corn, 


32      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

and  candy  in  a  basket,  wifh  Mollie's  gifts, 
she  handed  it  to  Eli.  Then  turning  to 
Sammy,  she  asked  him  if  he  could  not 
spare  his  Maltese  kitten  to  the  lame  girl 
who  had  so  few  sources  of  happiness. 

"Will  Malta  make  trismas?"  he  asked, 
hesitating;  for  the  Maltese  kitten  was  the 
most  precious  of  all  his  pets. 

"It  would  help/7  answered  his  mother, 
who  knew  that,  hid  away  in  the  barn, 
puss  had  five  more  little  "maltas,"  just 
big  enough  to  begin  to  play — a  fact  which 
she  had  been  keeping  for  some  time  as  a 
Christmas-surprise,  and  so  she  encouraged 
Sammy  to  give  away  his  Malta,  which  he 
finally  consented  to  do. 

Together  Mrs.  Stone  and  Eli  wended 
their  way  to  the  cottage  of  the  washer- 


SAMMY  STONED   RED  APPLES.        33 

woman,  who  was  both  surprised  and  de- 
lighted. Fixing  the  Christmas-tree  where 
Alice  would  see  it  upon  awakening,  they 
loaded  it  with  toys,  put  the  little  wicker- 
basket,  containing  "  Malta,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed,  and,  as  the  clock  had  struck  nine, 
bade  the  washer-woman  good-night,  and 
hastened  home. 

When  Santa  Glaus  went  his  rounds, 
you  may  be  sure  that  Mollie  and  Sammy 
were  not  forgotten;  but  the  snow  lay  so 
deep  on  .  the  house-tops,  and  the  wind 
roared  so  loud  in  the  chimney,  that  they 
did  not  hear  the  tread  of  the  reindeer- 
hoofs  or  the  jingling  of  the  Christmas- 
bells. 

When  the  children  awoke  in  the  early 
morning,  it  was  evident  that  some  gener- 


34      SAMMY  STOXE'S  HED  APPLES. 

ous  hand  had  bceu  busy  in  their  behalf. 
Such  wonderful  regiments  of  soldiers,  such 
puzzles,  and  tops;  such  large  balls,  and 
bright  skates  as  Sammy  found  in  his 
stocking,  are  seldom  seen ;  and  I  do  n't 
know  as  he  would  have  stopped  admiring 
them  until  this  time  if  he  had  not  caught 
sight  of  the  five  Malta  kitts,  curled  down, 
fast  asleep,  in  a  bed  of  soft,  white  cotton. 
How  bright  their  eyes  were  when  they 
opened  them,  and  how  cunningly  they 
chased  each  other  around,  falling,  and  roll- 
ing over  like  animated  pin-cushions!  It 
took  more  arithmetic  than  Sammy  was 
master  of  to  tell  in  what  ratio  his  gift 
to  Alice  had  been  multiplied  to  him. 

Mollie  found  that,   in  addition  to  the 
beautiful  books  and  toys  which  rendered 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES*      35 

her  stocking  so  plethoric,  there  was  an 
elegant  piano  in  the  parlor,  and  beside  it 
stood  the  Christmas-tree,  covered  with 
pretty  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Happy  as  were  these  favored  children, 
their  delight  was  nothing  in  comparison 
with  that  of  Alice,  who,  when  her  eye 
fell  upon  the  Christmas-tree  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed,  clasped  her  hands  in  an  ecstasy 
of  rapture,  repeating  again  and  again, 
"  He  heard  me !  He  sent  me  a  Christmas  V 
never  for  a  moment  doubting  that  it  was 
the  answer  to  her  prayer — which  indeed 
it  was,  though  God  had,  in  this  instance, 
as  he  often  does,  used  mortals  as  instru- 
ments to  do  his  will. 

The  Maltese  kitten,  hearing  Alice's  voice, 
stretched  herself,  opened  her  eyes,  and  be- 

3A 


36      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

gan  to  pur  softly,  which  at  once  attracted 
the  child's  attention,  and,  clasping  the 
little  thing  in  her  arms,  she  cried  for  very 
joy.  Dear  as  were  all  other  gifts,  the  kit- 
ten was  dearer  than  all. 

The  washer- woman  found,  upon  opening 
her  door  in  the  morning,  that  she,  too,  had 
been  remembered,  for  a  pile  of  wood,  a 
barrel  of  flour,  a  fat  turkey,  and  several 
bushels  of  apples  had  taken  possession  of 
the  front  yard  and  door-step. 

Eli,  too,  had  been  remembered  in  an 
equally  generous  manner,  and,  when  he 
opened  his  eyes  in  the  morning,  they 
rested  upon  a  nice  new  trunk,  with  his 
name,  in  gilt,  upon  the  lid.  On  opening 
it  he  found  two  suits  of  clothes,  one  for 
school,  and  the  other  for  Sunday;  a  nice 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.      37 

Bible  and  hymn-book,  a  new  cap,  boots, 
mittens,  socks,  and  a  " comforter;"  some 
handkerchiefs,  towels,  combs,  and  brushes, 
comprised  the  useful  articles;  and  among 
the  many  little  keepsakes  there  was  one, 
a  picture  of  himself,  with  Sammy  on  his 
shoulders.  The  likeness  of  both  was  per- 
fect, and  tears  fell  fast  from  his  eyes  as  he 
gazed  upon  the  picture.  A  few  months 
had  made  a  wonderful  change  in  his  feel- 
ings and  surroundings.  Then,  he  was 
friendless  and  unloved,  while  these  pre- 
cious gifts  proved  that  he  had  now  found 
true  and  lasting  friends.  From  being  one 
of  the  worst  he  had  now  become  one  of  the 
best  boys  in  the  place.  Such  is  the  won- 
derful alchemy  of  love. 

The  change  in  Eli,  being  so  great,  had 


38      SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES. 

its  effect  upon  the  shoemaker  and  his  wife. 
First,  they  gave  up  drinking  beer,  and 
soon  all  quarreling  ceased ;  and  before  an- 
other Christmas  they  had  learned  to  love 
and  obey  the  Savior. 

Little  Alice,  too  frail  for  earth,  slowly 
faded  away.  Just  before  she  died,  her 
mother  bent  over  her  and  asked  if  she  was 
afraid  ? 

"O,  no,  mamma,  I'm  not  afraid — Jesus 
gave  me  one  Christmas,  you  know,  and  it 
made  me  so  happy.  In  Heaven  it  is  al- 
ways Christmas;"  and,  with  a  smile  of 
faith,  she  closed  her  eyes,  and  the  angels 
took  her. 

Eli  Ross  is  now  an  aged  man,  and 
through  his  efforts-  many  have  learned  the 
way  of  life  more  perfectly.  But  he  has 


SAMMY  STONE'S  RED  APPLES.     39 

never  forgotten  the  trials  of  his  youth; 
and  to  Sammy's  gift  of  the  red  apple  and 
expressions  of  love,  and  the  faith  of  Alice, 
he  attributes  his  first  impulsive  longings 
for  that  purer  life  upon  which  he  entered 
by  OBEDIENCE,  and  through  which  he 
hopes  to  reach  that  glorious  home,  prom- 
ised to  the  faithful,  and  greet  Sammy  and 
Alice,  with  all  the  redeemed,  on  the  shin- 
ing shores  of  the  Kiver  of  Life. 


he  J{crch;mt's  Orate  Bream. 


T  was  the  night 
before  Christ- 
mas. Mr.  Al- 
len's toy -store 
had  been  crowd- 
ed all  day,  but  at 
length  the  last 
purchaser  had 
departed,  and 
the  weary  mer- 
chant seated 
himself  by  the 

stove  to  await  the  return  of  his  errand- 
(40) 


MERCHANT'S  CHRISTMAS  DREAM.    41 

boy,  before  closing  the  store  for  the 
night. 

He  rested  his  head  upon  the  counter, 
and  presently  the  store  seemed  filled  with 
the  buzz  of  many  voices;  but  when  he 
would  have  arisen  to  wait  upon  the  new- 
comers he  became  spell-bound,  as  he  saw 
that  it  Avas  the  various  toys  which  had 
suddenly  become  endowed  with  life,  and 
were  holding  an  animated  conversation. 

The  first  words  which  he  distinctly 
heard,  came  from  the  depths  of  a  "Noah's 
Ark,"  which  was  standing  close  to  his 
elbow  upon  the  counter. 

"  O  dear !  "  said  little  Mrs.  Noah,  as  she 
tried  to  peer  ever  a  great  polar  bear  which 
hid  Mr.  Noah  completely  from  her  view. 
"  O,  husband,  I  was  so  in  hopes  that  sweet, 


42  THE  MEKCHAXT'S 

blue-eyed  girl  would  take  us  away  from 
this  stifling  atmosphere.  Did  you  notice 
how  nicely  she  arranged  the  ark,  putting 
all  the  animals  in  first,  then  the  birds, 
and,  last  of  all,  standing  us  upon  our  feet, 
close  by  the  door,  where  we  could,  at  least, 
get  a  breath  of  air,  and  have  a  chance  to 
look  out  occasionally  upon  the  world 
around  ?  " 

"Yes/'  said  Mr.  Noah,  half  out  of 
breath  from  being  crushed  in  between  the 
zebra  and  rhinoceros,  "  I  noticed  her  blue 
eyes  and  careful  hand,  but  I  also  noticed 
her  thin  chintz  dress,  and  I  heard  her 
sigh  as  the  clerk  told  her  the  price  of  the 
ark,  and  she  whispered  to  her  little  brother 
that  she  had  not  money  enough,  and  I 
saw,  too,  the  tears  in  her  brother's  eyes; 


CHEISTMAS   DK^AM.  43 

but  just  then  that  rude  girl,  with  a  pink 
hat  and  velvet  cloak,  came  along,  and  such 
a  fluster  as  she  put  me  in;  why,  I  came 
very  near  being  trampled  upon  by  the 
elephant,  and  I  really  thought,  at  one 
time,  that  the  lion  would  make  a  meal 
of  you." 

Here,  although  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noah 
were  still  bewailing  their  sad  fate,  the 
merchant's  attention  was  called  to  a  large 
gray  cat  on  the  shelf  just  over  his  head. 

"Mew,  mew!"  said  puss,  turning  to  a 
shaggy  dog  by  her  side.  "How  do  you 
feel,  Mr.  Rover,  after  such  a  terrible  day? 
As  for  me/'  she  continued,  without  wait- 
ing for  Rover  to  reply — "  as  for  me,  I  am 
nearly  worn  out,  and  my  throat  is  so  sore 
I  fear  I  shall  die.  See  what  I  have  been 


44 

doing  all  day;"  and  here  puss  opened  her 
mouth,  and,  like  a  flash,  a  little  mouse 
went  down  her  throat.  Rover  laughed, 
while  puss  exclaimed,  indignantly,  "This 
way  of  eating  mice  is  far  from  pleasant, 
I  assure  you,  and  I  did  hope  that  Santa 
Claus  would  take  me  in  his  pack  and  carry 
me  to  the  home  of  little  Hans — little  Hans 
who  used  to  live  in  Germany,  in  the  same 
parish  were  I  was  born.  I  know  he  would 
shout  for  joy  to  see  even  a  cat  from  fa- 
therland." 

"Bow,  wow,  wow!"  said  Rover;  "why 
Tabby,  you've  forgotten  all  about  your 
sore  throat,  or  the  question  you  asked,  and 
your  story  is  as  long  as  the  river  Rhine, 
upon  wThose  banks  you  were  born.  It's 
hardly  polite  to  ask  a  question,  and  then 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  45 

talk  so  fast  that  you  give  a  person  no 
chance  to  reply.  However,  I  do  n't  mind 
telling  you  that  I  do  think  this  has  been  a 
very  trying  day.  You  must  know  that  I 
am  from  France,  and  that  I  attended  the 
1  great  Exposition/  and  was  very  much 
admired  for  my  bark — -just  hear  me  now — 
bow,  wow,  wow !  Did  you  ever  hear  such 
a  voice  as  that?  Why,  all  Paris  was  de- 
lighted; but  I  have  not  received  a  word 
of  praise  to-day,  except  from  a  poor  little 
newsboy,  who  cried  because  he  had  not 
money  enough  to  purchase  me  for  his 
little  sick  brother  at  home." 

"  Did  you  say  that  you  were  both  from 
.over  the  sea?"  whispered  a  delicate  little 
music-box,  with  a  voice  like  a  humming- 
bird.    "  Well,  I  am  from  Venice — beau- 


46  THE  MERCHANT'S 

tiful  Venice! — and  I  know  a  dark-eyed 
Italian  boy,  lying  upon  straw  in  a  gloomy 
garret,  and  oh,  how  I  long,  on  this  Christ- 
mas-eve, to  go  to  him  and  cheer  his  heart 
with  the  melodies  of  his  native  land  ! " 

"Ah,"  sighed  Miss  Waxdoll,  who  had 
been  silently  listening  to  the  conversation 
of  her  companions,  "  you  have  your  trials, 
but  my  disappointment  is  greater  than  all. 
Every  day  since  I  was  placed  in  the  win- 
dow a  sweet,  young  girl  has  paused,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  to  smile  upon  me  and 
praise  my  beauty.  Although  she  is  only  a 
music  teacher,  I  have  learned  to  love  her, 
and  she  has  been  saving  money  to  pur- 
chase me  for  a  Christmas  present  for  her 
little  lame  sister,  who  is  so  lonely  when 
Jennie  is  away  attending  to  her  pupils. 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  47 

To-day  she  came  here  with  the  money  in 
her  pocket,  but  some  wicked  person  in  the 
crowd  succeeded  in  stealing  her  purse,  and 
I  am  left  at  the  mercy  of  strangers,  in- 
stead of  being,  as  I  had  hoped,  the  joy  and 
pride  of  that  dear,  helpless  child." 

Just  as  the  doll  finished  her  story,  a 
great  stamping  was  heard  outside,  and 
Sambo,  the  "  plantation  dancer,"  who  had 
done  nothing  all  day  but  "  touch  the  heel 
and  touch  the  toe"  for  the  amusement  of 
the  children  in  search  of  Christmas- gifts, 
called  out: 

"Look  h-e-a,  just  keep  quiet,  you  white 
folks,  dar.  Ole  St.  Nick's  comin'  for 
anoder  load,  sure;  I  hears  the  reindeer- 
hoofs — ha!  ha!"  and  Sambo  took  the 
double-shuffle,  to  the  tune  of  Jim  Crow. 


48  THE  MERCHANT'S 

Instead  of  St.  Nick,  however,  it  proved 
to  be  only  the  errand-boy,  who  paused, 
very  much  surprised  to  find  the  merchant 
fast  asleep  in  his  chair,  and  the  fire  burned 
out,  and  the  room  cold.  He  was  still 
more  surprised  when,  upon  touching  Mr. 
Allen  upon  the  shoulder,  he  started  up,  ex- 
claiming, "  O  dear!  is  it  you?  I  thought 
it  was  Santa  Claus  come  to  take  those 
children  their  presents."  Seeing  the  sur- 
prise depicted  upon  the  boy's  face,  and 
comprehending  the  ludicrousness  of  such  a 
speech  from  a  sedate,'  middle-aged  bach- 
elor like  himself,  who  had  neither  wife  nor 
child  to  make  glad  by  a  Christmas  gift,  he 
laughed,  and  added,  "  I  think  I  must  have 
been  dreaming.  You  may  turn  t)ff  the 
gas,  and  close  up  the  store;"  and  with 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  49 

these  directions  he  slowly  wended  his  way 
homeward. 

Once  there,  and  seated  before  the  glow- 
ing anthracite,  he  fell  to  musing  upon  the 
strange  scene,  which  had  left  a  sad  im- 
pression upon  his  mind.  "  If  I  had  only 
finished  the  dream,  and  had  seen  St.  Nick 
carry  those  things  off,"  he  soliloquized; 
"I  believe  /shall  have  to  turn  Santa 
Glaus;"  and  no  sooner  had  the  thought 
entered  his  mind  than  all  sadness  and 
perplexity  vanished.  "The  very  thing," 
he  continued,  talking  and  nodding  to 
the  coal  in  the  grate,  which  blazed,  and 
sparkled,  and  snapped,  as  though  trying 
to  express  approbation  of  the  scheme. 
*  *  #  #  *  # 

"  Merry  Christmas !  merry  Christmas ! " 


50  THE  MERCHANT'S 

shouted  happy  children,  as  they  thronged 
the  streets;  and  the  bells  chimed  forth 
their  gayest  notes,  and  the  sun  looked 
down  as  though  bent  upon  turning  every 
snow-star  into  a  diamond  fit  for  an  em- 
peror's crown. 

"  1 711  try  and  make  this  a  '  merry  Christ- 
mas9 to  those  poor  little  children  of  whom 
I  dreamed,"  said  Mr.  Allen,  as  he  pur- 
chased an  evergreen  and  ordered  it  sent 
home.  Then  pushing  on,  he  entered  the 
store  and  gathered  together  a  basket  of 
the  most  tempting  of  children's  toys,  not 
forgetting  those  which  had  played  so  con- 
spicuous a  part  in  his  dream  of  the  night 
before. 

Next,  he  bade  the  housekeeper  prepare 
for  unexpected  guests,  while  he  procured 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  51 

a  pair  of  fleet  horses  and  a  warm,  fur- 
lined  sleigh,  and  went  in  search  of  the 
children  he  hoped  to  make  happy  by  this 
unlooked-for  Christmas  party. 

Perhaps  you  are  ready  to  ask  how  the 
merchant  expected  to  find  these  particular 
children)  in  a  city  so  crowded  with  poor 
little  boys  and  girls. 

When  he  came  to  think  about  his  dream, 
strange  to  say,  he  knew  them  all.  The 
little  blue-eyed  girl,  to  whom  Noah's  wife 
took  such  a  fancy,  for  her  gentleness,  was 
the  orphan  daughter  of  a  soldier,  who  had 
once  been  his  clerk,  but  died  for  his  coun- 
try, in  the  late  war.  Hans,  the  Ger- 
man boy,  had  often  run  errands  when  his 
clerks  were  busy;  and  the  newsboy  was 
faithful  Henry  Martin,  who  almost  wholly 

4A 


52  THE  MEKCHANT'S 

supported  a  widowed  mother  and  an  in- 
valid brother.  The  Italian  boy  was  one 
of  those  natural  musicians  who  seem  born 
to  live  beneath  sunny  skies,  and  whose 
souls  are  chilled  by  our  cold  clime.  Jenny 
he  remembered  as  a  lovely  girl,  once  the 
pet  and  pride  of  society,  who,  by  the  death 
of  her  father,  had  been  left  to  a  life  of  toil 
and  poverty. 

If  I  thought  you  cared  to  hear  it,  I 
might  tell  you  that  Jenny  made  such 
beautiful  music  upon  Mr.  Alleys  grand 
piano  that  he  prevailed  upon  her  to  give 
up  teaching,  and  become  the  life  and  light 
of  his  lonely  home,  but  I  am  sure  you 
would  much  rather  hear  how  the  children 
enjoyed  their  Christmas  dinner,  than  any 
wedding  in  the  world. 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  53 

You  may  rest  assured  that  they  thought 
the  turkey  the  largest,  and  the  plum- 
pudding  the  best  that  had  ever  been 
seen. 

After  dinner  the  parlors  were  opened, 
and  there  stood  a  Christmas-tree,  resplen- 
dent with  gifts  for  one  and  all.  The  Ital- 
ian boy  forgot  to  be  home-sick  as  he  list- 
ened to  the  music-box  playing  his  own 
native  airs ;  and  when  he  learned  that  he 
was  to  fit  himself  for  a  teacher  of  music, 
and  that  his  home  was  to  be  with  a  great 
professor  from  Italy,  his  joy  was  almost 
beyond  bounds.  The  little  newsboy  re- 
ceived the  shaggy  dog,  and,  no  doubt, 
Rover  was  satisfied,  for  he  was  never  heard 
to  mention  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  the 
little  invalid'  brother  thinks  his  bark  far 


54  THE  MERCHANT'S 

sweeter  than  music.  Since  puss  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  German  boy,  she  has 
never  once  complained  of  sore  throat,  al- 
though his  little  sister  keeps  her  swallow- 
ing mice  many  hours  a  day.  Even  Mrs. 
Xoah  seems  content,  foi\blue-eyed  Mamie 
Dale  always  sets  her  on  her  feet  close  by 
Noah,  and  so  near  the  door  of  the  ark 
that  she  can  see  and  hear  all  that  is  going 
on  around  her. 

Xeed  I  add,  that  since  Christmas-eve, 
the  toys  in  the  merchant's  store  have  been 
as  quiet  and  well-behaved  as  any  toys  in 
the  city,  and  that  happy  homes  have  been 
provided  for  all  these  children? 

Jenny's  little  lame  sister  has  learned  to 
love  Mr.  Allen,  and  will  leave  her  doll, 
any  time,  to  listen  to  the  story  of  his 


CHRISTMAS   DREAM.  55 

Christmas  dream,  from  which  so  much 
happiness  has  resulted ;  but  their  "  talk " 
always  ends  in  Nettie's  saying : 

"  But  then,  you  know,  you  got  my  sis- 
ter Jenny  for  your  Christmas  present,  and 
I'm  sure  that's  the  best  of  all;"  and  as 
the  ex-bachelor  does  not  contradict  the 
child's  assertion,  we  may  well  suppose  that 
he,  too,  thinks  his  present  the  best,  and 
his  dream  the  most  fortunate  that  the 
patron  saint  of  merry  Christmas  ever 
whispered  in  mortal  ears. 

But  this  is  not  the  end,  for,  though 
happy  and  blessed  in  his  home,  Mr.  Allen 
never  fails  to  have  a  huge  Christmas-tree, 
and  invite  large  numbers  of  the  poor  and 
needy  to  enjoy  the  dinner  which  precedes 
the  distribution  of  the  presents;  and, 


56    MERCHANT'S  CHRISTMAS  DREAM. 

happy  himself  in  making  others   happy, 
his  days  are  gliding  peacefully  by. 

Over  his  desk  at  the  counting-room  is 
a  frame  inclosing  the  golden  motto,  "  It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 
Mr.  Allen  has  proved  its  truth.  Reader, 
will  you  not  "go  and  do  likewise?" 


jllfe'5 


*  AMMA,  I  had  such  a  beautiful  dream, 

And  Willie's  breath  came  quick — 

*  I  dreamed  that  Christmas-eve  was  here, 

And  with  it  old  Saint  Nick — 
'  Just  as  I  read  in  my  picture  book, 
With  his  sleigh  and  his  twelve  rein- 
deer, 
And  his  funny  pipe  and  well-filled  pack, 

And  his  face  so  round  and  queer. 
And,  0,  Mamma,  I  saw  him  come 

Adown  the  chimney  there — 
Light  his  pipe  with  a  spark  from  the  hearth, 

And  lay  his  cap  in  the  chair; 
And  out  of  his  pack,  all  running  o'er, 

There  dropped  such  wonderful  books, 
And  dolls,  and  dishes,  and  toys  for  me; 

And  he  smiled  with  comical  looks, 
As  he  said, '  for  Willie  I'll  leave  them  there, 

He's  fast  asleep  as  I  see' — 
But,  Mamma,  I  wasn't  fast  asleep — 

I  only  pretended  to  be. 
I  know,  Mamma,  it  was  all  a  dream, 

But  the  beautiful  presents  are  here; 
And  I've  you  to  thank  for  them  all,  I  see, 
Instead  of  Saint  Nick  and  his  deer." 

(57) 


58      WILLIE'S  CHRISTMAS  DREAM. 

"If  Willie  wishes  to  help  Mamma, 

We  '11  dub  him  Kris  Krinkle  to-day, 
And  send  him  with  generous  Christmas  gifts 

To  the  poor  across  the  way," 
Said  Willie's  mother,  while  gathering  up 

Warm  clothing,  and  food,  and  toys, 
For  the  drunkard's  wife  in  her  lowly  home 

With  her  worse  than  orphaned  boys. 
"Open  the  door  for  old  Saint  Nick! 

He  is  coming,"  sweet  Willie  cries; 
Then  they  opened  the  door,  and  joyous  tears 

Fell  fast  from  that  mother's  eyes. 
Ah !  old  Saint  Nick  a  wondrous  saint 

May  be,  for  aught  I  know; 
But  I  'd  rather  be  the  little  boy 

That  trampled  down  the  snow, 
To  carry  a  Christmas-gift  to  those 

Poor  children,  and  mother  lone, 
Than  to  have  the  name  of  a  martyred  saint, 

Or  sit  a  king  on  a  throne; 
For  lo !  there1  cometh  a  night  of  death, 

And  a  resurrection  day ; 
And  he  who  judges  the  nations  then, 

Shall  unto  the  risen  say: 
"  Whatever  was  done  to  the  least  of  these 

The  same  was  done  unto  me; 
Let  the  evil  go  into  darksome  night — 

The  good  shall  my  glory  see." 


that  rich 

old   mansion  was   a 
merry  scene.    In  the 
warm,  bright  parlor,  the 
family  had   gathered,  to 
enjoy  the  Christmas  holi- 
day.   At  ihe  further  side, 
reaching    from    floor    to 
ceiling,  stood  the  Christ- 
mas-tree, covered  with 
gifts,   and   brilliant  in   the   light   of  its 

many-colored  waxen  tapers.     The  voices 

(59) 


60        MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

of  the  children  made  joyous  music,  sweeter 
far  than  the  sound  of  the  lute,  or  the  clear 
tinkling  brooklet  playing  over  its  pebbly 
bed. 

Grandpa  Warren,  dressed  like  a  veri- 
table St.  Xicholas,  with  long  white  beard 
and  flowing  robes,' distributed  the  gifts. 

Little  Minnie  ran,  delighted  to  show 
grandma  her  dancing  doll,  and  Harry 
wound  up  his  engine,  and  sent  it  whizzing, 
at  railroad  speed,  over  the  carpet;  but,  as 
engines  sometimes  do,  it  met  with  an  "  ac- 
cident" which  threw  it  off  the  track.  The 
"  accident"  in  this  case  was  puss,  asleep  on 
the  rug,  before  the  grate.  When  the  mimic 
monster  came  rushing  upon  her,  breaking 
her  dreams,  though  happily  not  her  bones, 
she  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  arched  her  back 


MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TEEEV       61 

with  such  a  ludicrous  display  of  fear,  as- 
tonishment, and  wrath,  as  to  cause  a  shout 
of  merriment  from  all,  even  old  St.  Nick 
himself  joining  in  the  fun. 

Very  different  was  the  scene  outside  this 
fairy-like  room.  The  wind  howled,  and 
the  snow  fell.  Men,  muffled  in  warm  furs, 
hurried  homeward.  But  one  little  figure 
wandered  on,  seemingly  unmindful  of  the 
tempestuous  wind  or  falling  snow.  A  torn 
hood,  from  which  a  few  stray  curls  escaped, 
a  thin  dress,  and  a  well-worn  shawl,  could 
not  protect  the  child  from  the  bitter,  biting 
cold. 

But  why  was  she  abroad  in  the  storm? 
Alas!  she  was  one  of  those  homeless  or- 
phans who  wander  up  and  down  the  earth, 
"seeking  rest,  but  finding  none." 


62       ^r ABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

Suddenly  she  paused  before  Judge  War- 
ren's mansion.  The  curtains  had  not  fal- 
len entirely  across  the  window,  and,  stand- 
ing there  in  the  stormy  night,  the  child 
looked  upon  the  happy  group  around  the 
Christmas-tree.  As  she  gazed,  an  almost 
irresistible  impulse  seized  her,  and  she 
placed  her  hand  upon  the  bell;  but  she 
drew  it  quickly  back,  as  she  remembered 
how  harshly  the  servants  had  spoken 
whenever  she  had  ventured  to  ask  for 
food  that  day. 

But  as  she  stood  there,  drawing  herself 
up  into  the  niche  formed  by  the  door- 
casing,  to  keep  her  shivering  form  from 
the  blast,  the  footman  opened  the  door 
and  walked  down  to  the  gate  with  a  friend, 
leaving  the  door  ajar.  She  glided  into 


MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TBEE.        63 

the  hall,  and  no  one  saw  her,  until  Judge 
Warren,  looking  up  from  his  play  with 
the  children,  beheld  her,  standing  on  the 
threshold,  gazing  around  her  like  one  in 
a  dream.  For  a  moment  he  was  silent, 
from  surprise ;  then  an  impulse  to  send  f 
her  away  rushed  over  him,  but  a  voice — 
was  it  an  angel's? — whispered,  "She  is 
one  of  Christ's  poor;  accept  her  as  your 
Christmas  gift." 

To  Mabel  it  did,  indeed,  seem  like  a 
fairy  vision.  But  hungry,  tired,  and  cold, 
the  heat  was  too  much  for  her,  and  she 
fainted,  and  would  have  fallen,  but  for 
Judge  Warren's  strong  arms,  which  caught 
and  carried  her  to  the  sofa;  and  while  he 
stroked  her  cold  hands,  and  bathed  her 
pale  face,  the  children  looked  on,  forget- 


64        MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

ting,  for  the  time,  their  Christmas  toys. 
At  last  her  lips  moved,  and  they  heard 
her  whisper,  "I  dreamed  I  was  in 
Heaven ! " 

It  was  not  Heaven,  but  henceforth, 
that  next  best  thing,  home,  to  Mabel ;  for 
the  children,  won  by  the  sweet  face  and 
pleading  eyes,  begged  to  have  her  for  a 
sister. 

Later  in  the  evening,  refreshed  by  food, 
and  neatly  clad  in  some  of  Minnie's  warm, 
bright  garments,  she  was  the  center  of  an 
eager  group,  to  whom  she  related  the  sad 
story  of  her  soldier-father's  death  upon 
the  battle-field,  and  a  broken-hearted 
mother,  who  was  sleeping  under  the  snow. 
"She  said  she  would  come  back  for  me, 
and  I  was  waiting  for  her  out  in  the 


MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TKEE.        65 

street!"  and  she  looked  toward  the  door 
as  though  she  ought,  perhaps,  to  still 
remain  out  in  the  storm,  watching  for  her 
mother. 

Tears  were  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  list- 
eners, and  the  hearts  of  the  children 
throbbed  in  sympathy.  Suddenly  Min- 
nie, in  all  the  innocency  of  childhood,  ex- 
claimed, "Let's  give  Mabel  our  Christ- 
mas tree!"  And,  with  one  accord,  the 
children  placed  many  of  their  gifts  upon 
its  branches,  and,  leading  her  up  to  the 
tree,  said,  "Santa  Glaus,  this  is  our  new 
Christmas-sister,  and  this  is  her  very  own 
Christmas-tree ! " 

When  the  angels  went  to  Heaven  that 
night,  they  bore  a  sweet  story  of  a  little 


66 


MABEL'S  CHRISTMAS-TREE. 


lamb,  rescued  from  death,  and  of  unnum- 
bered blessings  yet  to  fall,  like  ripened 
fruit,  from  the  branches  of  little  Mabel's 
first  Christmas-tree. 


piiii 

AA    000475243    2 


PZ6 
3635s 


